2021/2022 Rates Charged for AMS Services, 20476-20480 [2021-08069]
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20476
Notices
Federal Register
Vol. 86, No. 74
Tuesday, April 20, 2021
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER
contains documents other than rules or
proposed rules that are applicable to the
public. Notices of hearings and investigations,
committee meetings, agency decisions and
rulings, delegations of authority, filing of
petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are
examples of documents appearing in this
section.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service
[Document No. AMS–AMS–21–0037]
2021/2022 Rates Charged for AMS
Services
Agricultural Marketing Service,
USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The Agricultural Marketing
Service (AMS) is announcing the 2021/
2022 rates it will charge for voluntary
grading, inspection, certification,
auditing, and laboratory services for a
variety of agricultural commodities
including meat and poultry, fruits and
vegetables, eggs, dairy products, rice,
and cotton and tobacco. The 2021/2022
regular, overtime, holiday, and
laboratory services rates will be applied
at the beginning of the crop year, fiscal
year or as required by law depending on
the commodity. Other starting dates are
added to this notice based on cotton
industry practices. This action
establishes the rates for user-funded
programs based on costs incurred by
AMS. This year, nearly two-thirds of
AMS user fee rates will remain
unchanged from the previous year and
a few will decrease, but increases are
necessary to many fees to cover costs.
DATES: April 21, 2021.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Charles Parrott, AMS, USDA, Room
2063A–S, 1400 Independence Ave. SW,
Washington, DC 20250; telephone (202)
260–9144, fax (202) 692–0313, or email
charles.parrott@usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, as
amended (AMA)(7 U.S.C. 1621–1627),
provides for the collection of fees to
cover costs of various inspection,
grading, certification, or auditing
services covering many agricultural
commodities and products. The AMA
also provides for the recovery of costs
SUMMARY:
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17:10 Apr 19, 2021
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incurred in providing laboratory
services. The Cotton Statistics and
Estimates Act (7 U.S.C. 471–476) and
the U.S. Cotton Standards Act (7 U.S.C.
51–65) provide for classification of
cotton and development of cotton
standards materials necessary for cotton
classification. The Cotton Futures Act (7
U.S.C. 15b) provides for futures
certification services, and the Tobacco
Inspection Act (7 U.S.C. 511–511s)
provides for tobacco inspection and
grading. These Acts also provide for the
recovery of costs associated with these
services.
On November 13, 2014, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (Department)
published in the Federal Register a final
rule that established standardized
formulas for calculating the fees charged
by AMS user-funded programs (79 FR
67313). Every year since then, the
Department has published in the
Federal Register a notice announcing
the rates for its user–funded programs.
This notice announces the 2021/2022
fee rates for voluntary grading,
inspection, certification, auditing, and
laboratory services for a variety of
agricultural commodities including
meat and poultry, fruits and vegetables,
eggs, dairy products, rice, and cotton
and tobacco on a per-hour rate and, in
some instances, the equivalent per-unit
cost. The per-unit cost is provided to
facilitate understanding of the costs
associated with the service to the
industries that historically used unitcost basis for payment. The fee rates
will be effective at the beginning of the
fiscal year, crop year, or as required by
specific laws.
The rates reflect direct and indirect
costs of providing services. Direct costs
include the cost of salaries, employee
benefits, and, if applicable, travel and
some operating costs. Indirect or
overhead costs include the cost of
Program and Agency activities
supporting the services provided to the
industry. The formula used to calculate
these rates also includes operating
reserve, which may add to or draw upon
the existing operating reserves.
These services include the grading,
inspection or certification of quality
factors in accordance with established
U.S. Grade Standards or other
specifications; audits or accreditation
according to International Organization
for Standardization (ISO) standards and/
or Hazard Analysis and Critical Control
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Point (HACCP) principles; and other
marketing claims. The quality grades
serve as a basis for market prices and
reflect the value of agricultural
commodities to both producers and
consumers. AMS’ grading and
certification, audit and accreditation,
plant process and equipment
verification, and laboratory approval
services are voluntary tools paid for by
the users on a fee-for-service basis. The
agriculture industry can use these tools
to promote and communicate the
quality of agricultural commodities to
consumers. Laboratory services are
provided for analytic testing, including
but not limited to chemical,
microbiological, biomolecular, and
physical analyses. AMS is required by
statute to recover the costs associated
with these services.
As required by the Cotton Statistics
and Estimates Act (7 U.S.C. 471–476),
consultations regarding the
establishment of the fee for cotton
classification with U.S. cotton industry
representatives are held in the
beginning of the year when most
industry stakeholder meetings take
place. Representatives of all segments of
the cotton industry, including
producers, ginners, bale storage facility
operators, merchants, cooperatives, and
textile manufacturers were informed of
the fees during various industrysponsored forums.
Rates Calculations
AMS calculated the rate for services,
per hour per program employee, using
the following formulas (a per-unit base
is included for programs that charge for
services on a per-unit basis):
(1) Regular rate. The total AMS
grading, inspection, certification,
classification, audit, or laboratory
service program personnel direct pay
divided by direct hours for the previous
year, which is then multiplied by the
next year’s percentage of cost of living
increase, plus the benefits rate, plus the
operating rate, plus the allowance for
bad debt rate. If applicable, travel
expenses may also be added to the cost
of providing the service.
(2) Overtime rate. The total AMS
grading, inspection, certification,
classification, audit, or laboratory
service program personnel direct pay
divided by direct hours, which is then
multiplied by the next year’s percentage
of cost of living increase and then
multiplied by 1.5, plus the benefits rate,
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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 74 / Tuesday, April 20, 2021 / Notices
plus the operating rate, plus an
allowance for bad debt. If applicable,
travel expenses may also be added to
the cost of providing the service.
(3) Holiday rate. The total AMS
grading, inspection, certification,
classification, audit, or laboratory
service program personnel direct pay
divided by direct hours, which is then
multiplied by the next year’s percentage
of cost of living increase and then
multiplied by 2, plus the benefits rate,
plus the operating rate, plus an
allowance for bad debt. If applicable,
travel expenses may also be added to
the cost of providing the service.
All rates are per-hour except when a
per-unit cost is noted. The specific
amounts in each rate calculation are
available upon request from the specific
AMS program.
2021/2022 RATES
Regular
Overtime
Holiday
Includes travel
costs in rate
Start date
Cotton Fees
7 CFR Part 27—Cotton Classification Under Cotton Futures Legislation
Subpart A—Regulations;
§§ 27.80–27.90 Costs of Classifications and Micronaire
Cotton Standardization
Certification for Futures Contract (Grading services for
samples submitted by CCC-licensed samplers).
$4.25/bale
X
August 1, 2021.
Transfer of Certification Data to New Owner or Certified
Warehouse (Electronic transfer performed).
$0.20/bale or $5.00 per page minimum
X
August 1, 2021.
7 CFR Part 28—Cotton Classing, Testing, and Standards
Subpart A—Regulations Under the United States Cotton Standards Act;
§§ 28.115–28.126 Fees and Costs
Subpart D—Cotton Classification and Market News Service for Producers;
§ 28.909 Costs; § 28.910 Classification of Samples and Issuance of Classification Data; § 28.911
Review Classification
Cotton Grading
Form 1: Grading Services for Producers (submitted by licensed sampler).
$2.30/bale
X
July 1, 2021.
Form 1 Review (new sample submitted by licensed sampler).
$2.30/bale
X
July 1, 2021.
Form A Determinations (sample submitted by licensed
warehouse).
$2.30/bale
X
July 1, 2021.
Form C Determinations (sample submitted by non-licensed entity; bale sampled under USDA supervision).
$2.30/bale
........................
July 1, 2021.
Form D Determination (sample submitted by owner or
agent; classification represents sample only).
$2.30/bale
X
July 1, 2021.
Foreign Growth Classification (sample of foreign growth
cotton submitted by owner or agent; classification represents sample only).
$6.00/sample
X
August 1, 2021.
Arbitration (comparison of a sample to the official standards or a sample type).
$6.00/sample
X
August 1, 2021.
Practical Cotton Classing Exam (for non-USDA employees).
Exam: $150/applicant, Reexamination: $130/
applicant
X
July 1, 2021.
Special Sample Handling (return of samples per request).
$0.50/sample
X
July 1, 2021.
Electronic Copy of Classification Record .........................
$0.05/bale ($5.00/month minimum with any
records received)
X
July 1, 2021.
Form A Rewrite (reissuance of Form 1, Form A, or Futures Certification data or combination).
$0.15/bale or $5.00/page minimum
X
August 1, 2021.
Form R (reissuance of Form 1 classification only) ...........
$0.15/bale or $5.00/page minimum
X
July 1, 2021.
International Instrument Level Assessment ......................
$4.00/sample
X
July 1, 2021.
Dairy Fees
7 CFR Part 58—Grading and Inspection, General Specifications for Approved Plants and Standards for Grades of Dairy Products
Subpart A—Regulations Governing the Inspection and Grading Services of Manufactured or Processed Dairy Products;
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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 74 / Tuesday, April 20, 2021 / Notices
2021/2022 RATES—Continued
Regular
§§ 58.38–58.46
Overtime
Includes travel
costs in rate
Holiday
Start date
Fees and Charges
Continuous Resident Grading Service .............................
Non-resident and Intermittent Grading Service; State
Graders.
Non-resident Services 6 p.m.–6 a.m. (10 percent night
differential).
Export Certificate Services (per certificate) ......................
Equipment Review 1 ..........................................................
Audit Services ...................................................................
Special Handling ...............................................................
Fax/PDF Charge (per copy) .............................................
Derogation Application (per application) ...........................
$80.00
90.00
$96.49
107.89
$112.97
125.78
X
X
Oct 1, 2021.
Oct 1, 2021.
99.00
118.68
138.36
X
Oct 1, 2021.
85.00
100.00
103.00
41.00
4.00
123.00
N/A
121.25
119.00
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
142.49
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
........................
........................
X
........................
........................
........................
Oct
Oct
Oct
Oct
Oct
Oct
1,
1,
1,
1,
1,
1,
2021.
2021.
2021.
2021.
2021.
2021.
Specialty Crops Fees
7 CFR Part 51—Fresh Fruits, Vegetables and Other Products (Inspection, Certification, and Standards)
Subpart A—Regulations;
§§ 51.37–51.44 Schedule of Fees and Charges at Destination Markets
§ 51.45 Schedule of Fees and Charges at Shipping Point Areas
Quality and Condition Inspections for Whole Lots ...........
$210.00 per lot
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
Quality and Condition Half Lot or Condition-Only Inspections for Whole Lots.
$174.00 per lot
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
Condition—Half Lot ...........................................................
$161.00 per lot
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
Quality and Condition or Condition-Only Inspections for
Additional Lots of the Same Product.
$96.00 per lot
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
Dockside Inspections—Each package weighing <30 lbs.
$0.044 per pkg.
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
Dockside Inspections—Each package weighing >30 lbs.
$0.068 per pkg.
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
Charge per Individual Product for Dockside Inspection ...
$210.00 per lot
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
Charge per Each Additional Lot of the Same Product .....
$96.00 per lot
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
Inspections for All Hourly Work ........................................
$93.00
$122.00
I
I
$147.00
Audit Services—Federal ...................................................
$115.00
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
Audit Services—State .......................................................
$115.00
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
$250 per audit
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
GFSI Certification
Fee 2
....................................................
7 CFR Part 52—Processed Fruits and Vegetables, Processed Products Thereof, and Other Processed Food Products
Subpart—Regulations Governing Inspection and Certification;
§§ 52.41–52.51 Fees and Charges
Lot Inspections ..................................................................
In-plant Inspections Under Annual Contract (year-round)
Additional Graders (in-plant) or Less Than Year-Round ..
$75.00
75.00
85.00
$100.00
100.00
112.00
$124.00
124.00
138.00
........................
........................
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
Oct 1, 2021.
Oct 1, 2021.
Audit Services—Federal ...................................................
$115.00
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
Audit Services—State .......................................................
$115.00
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
GFSI Certification Fee 2 ....................................................
$250 per audit
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
X
........................
X
Oct 1, 2021.
Oct 1, 2021.
Oct 1, 2021.
Meat Fees
7 CFR Part 54—Meats, Prepared Meats, and Meat Products (Grading, Certification, and Standards)
Subpart A—Regulations;
§§ 54.27–54.28 Charges for Service
Scheduled Grading ...........................................................
Unscheduled Grading .......................................................
Scheduled Night Differential (6 p.m.–6 a.m.) ...................
$86.00
114.00
95.00
$105.00
132.00
115.00
$123.00
154.00
123.00
7 CFR Part 62—Livestock, Meat and Other Agricultural Commodities (Quality Systems Verification Programs)
Subpart A—Quality Systems Verification Definitions
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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 74 / Tuesday, April 20, 2021 / Notices
2021/2022 RATES—Continued
Regular
§ 62.300
Overtime
Includes travel
costs in rate
Holiday
Start date
Fees and Other Costs for Service
Auditing Activities ..............................................................
$150.00
$222.00
$231.00
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
$82.00
91.00
105.00
116.00
122.00
222.00
$99.00
99.00
N/A
N/A
147.00
231.00
X
X
X
X
........................
........................
Oct
Oct
Oct
Oct
Oct
Oct
$133.00
237.00
........................
X
Oct 1, 2021.
Jan 1, 2022.
Poultry Fees
7 CFR Part 56—Voluntary Grading of Shell Eggs
Subpart A—Grading of Shell Eggs;
§§ 56.45–56.54 Fees and Charges
7 CFR Part 70—Voluntary Grading of Poultry and Rabbit Products
Subpart A—Grading of Poultry and Rabbit Products;
§§ 70.70–70.78 Fees and Charges
Scheduled Grading ...........................................................
Scheduled, Night Differential (6 p.m.–6 a.m.) ..................
Scheduled, Sunday Differential ........................................
Scheduled, Sunday and Night Differential ........................
Unscheduled Grading .......................................................
Audit Service .....................................................................
$63.00
69.00
81.00
90.00
99.00
150.00
1,
1,
1,
1,
1,
1,
2021.
2021.
2021.
2021.
2021.
2021.
Science and Technology Fees
7 CFR Part 91—Services and General Information (Science and Technology)
Subpart I—Fees and Charges;
§§ 91.37–91.45
Laboratory Testing Services .............................................
Laboratory Approval Services 1 ........................................
$98.00
188.00
$116.00
212.00
7 CFR Part 75—Regulations for Inspection and Certification of Quality of Agricultural and Vegetable Seeds
§ 75.41 General
Laboratory Testing ............................................................
$58.00
$86.00
I
I
$115.00
X
Oct 1, 2021.
Administrative Fee ............................................................
$14.50 per certificate
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
Auditing Services ..............................................................
$115.00
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
Tobacco Fees
7 CFR Part 29—Tobacco Inspection
Subpart A—Policy Statement and Regulations Governing the Extension of Tobacco Inspection and Price Support Services to New Markets
and to Additional Sales on Designated Markets;
Subpart B—Regulations;
§§ 29.123–29.129 Fees and Charges; § 29.500 Fees and charges for inspection and acceptance of imported tobacco
Subpart F—Policy Statement and Regulations Governing the Identification and Certification of Non-quota Tobacco Produced and Marketed
in Quota Area;
§ 29.9251 Fees and Charges
Domestic Permissive Inspection and Certification (regrading of domestic tobacco for processing plants, retesting of imported tobacco, and grading tobacco for
research stations).
$55.00
$64.00
$72.00
........................
July 1, 2021.
Export Permissive Inspection and Certification (grading
of domestic tobacco for manufacturers and dealers for
duty drawback consideration).
$0.0025/pound
X
July 1, 2021.
Grading for Risk Management Agency (for Tobacco
Crop Insurance Quality Adjustment determinations).
$0.0765/pound
X
July 1, 2021.
Pesticide Test Sampling (collection of certified tobacco
sample and shipment to AMS National Science Laboratory for testing).
$0.0065/kg or $0.0029/pound
X
July 1, 2021.
Pesticide Retest Sampling (collection of certified tobacco
sample from a previously sampled lot for re-testing at
the AMS National Science Laboratory; fee includes
shipping).
$115.00/sample and $55.00/hour
X
July 1, 2021.
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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 74 / Tuesday, April 20, 2021 / Notices
2021/2022 RATES—Continued
Regular
Overtime
I
Holiday
I
Includes travel
costs in rate
Start date
Standards Course (training by USDA-certified instructor
on tobacco grading procedures).
$1,250.00/person
........................
July 1, 2021.
Import Inspection and Certification (grading of imported
tobacco for manufacturers and dealers).
$0.0475/kg or $0.0215/pound
X
July 1, 2021.
........................
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
Oct 1, 2021.
$0.047/CWT
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
Rough rice .................................................................
$35.70
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
Brown rice for processing ..........................................
$31.50
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
Milled rice ...................................................................
$24.20
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
Milling yield (per sample) (Rough or Brown rice) ......
$27.10
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
All other factors (per factor) (all rice) ........................
$15.00
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
Total oil and free fatty acid ........................................
$42.10
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
Faxed and extra copies of certificates (per copy) .....
$1.90
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
Ship ............................................................................
$36.00 (per stowage space, minimum 5 spaces
per ship)
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
Subsequent ship examinations ..................................
$36.00 (per stowage space, minimum 3 spaces
per ship)
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
Barge (per examination) ............................................
$31.40
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
All other carriers (per examination) ...........................
$11.70
........................
Oct 1, 2021.
Rice Fees
7 CFR Part 868—General Regulations and Standards for Certain Agricultural Commodities
Subpart A—Regulations;
§§ 868.91 Fees for certain Federal rice inspection services
Contract (per hour per Service representative) 3 ..............
Noncontract (per hour per Service representative) 3 ........
$41.50
51.90
Export Port Services (per hundredweight) 4 .....................
$51.90
64.90
I
I
$62.30
77.90
Inspection for quality (per lot, sublot, or sample inspection):
Factor analysis for any single factor (per factor):
Stowage examination (service-on-request):
1 Travel
costs outside the United States will be added to the fee, if applicable.
2 Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) Certification Fee—$250 per GFSI audit to recoup the costs associated with attaining technical equivalency to the GFSI benchmarking requirements.
3 Original and appeal inspection services include: Sampling, grading, weighing, and other services requested by the applicant when performed
at the applicant’s facility.
4 Services performed at export locations on lots at rest.
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 15b; 7 U.S.C. 473a–b;
7 U.S.C. 55 and 61; 7 U.S.C. 51–65; 7 U.S.C.
471–476; 7 U.S.C. 511, 511s; and 7 U.S.C.
1621–1627.
Bruce Summers,
Administrator, Agricultural Marketing
Service.
[FR Doc. 2021–08069 Filed 4–19–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service
[AMS–FGIS–21–0017]
United States Standards for Wheat
Agricultural Marketing Service,
USDA.
ACTION: Notice; request for information.
AGENCY:
The United States Department
of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural
Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking
comments from the public regarding the
United States Standards for Wheat
SUMMARY:
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under the United States Grain Standards
Act (USGSA). To ensure that standards
and official grading practices remain
relevant, AMS invites interested parties
to comment on whether the current
wheat standards and grading practices
need to be changed.
We will consider comments we
receive by July 19, 2021.
DATES:
Interested persons are
invited to submit written comments
concerning this notice. All comments
must be submitted through the Federal
e-rulemaking portal at https://
www.regulations.gov and should
ADDRESSES:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 74 (Tuesday, April 20, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20476-20480]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-08069]
========================================================================
Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
appearing in this section.
========================================================================
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 74 / Tuesday, April 20, 2021 /
Notices
[[Page 20476]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service
[Document No. AMS-AMS-21-0037]
2021/2022 Rates Charged for AMS Services
AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is announcing the
2021/2022 rates it will charge for voluntary grading, inspection,
certification, auditing, and laboratory services for a variety of
agricultural commodities including meat and poultry, fruits and
vegetables, eggs, dairy products, rice, and cotton and tobacco. The
2021/2022 regular, overtime, holiday, and laboratory services rates
will be applied at the beginning of the crop year, fiscal year or as
required by law depending on the commodity. Other starting dates are
added to this notice based on cotton industry practices. This action
establishes the rates for user-funded programs based on costs incurred
by AMS. This year, nearly two-thirds of AMS user fee rates will remain
unchanged from the previous year and a few will decrease, but increases
are necessary to many fees to cover costs.
DATES: April 21, 2021.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Charles Parrott, AMS, USDA, Room
2063A-S, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20250; telephone
(202) 260-9144, fax (202) 692-0313, or email [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, as
amended (AMA)(7 U.S.C. 1621-1627), provides for the collection of fees
to cover costs of various inspection, grading, certification, or
auditing services covering many agricultural commodities and products.
The AMA also provides for the recovery of costs incurred in providing
laboratory services. The Cotton Statistics and Estimates Act (7 U.S.C.
471-476) and the U.S. Cotton Standards Act (7 U.S.C. 51-65) provide for
classification of cotton and development of cotton standards materials
necessary for cotton classification. The Cotton Futures Act (7 U.S.C.
15b) provides for futures certification services, and the Tobacco
Inspection Act (7 U.S.C. 511-511s) provides for tobacco inspection and
grading. These Acts also provide for the recovery of costs associated
with these services.
On November 13, 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(Department) published in the Federal Register a final rule that
established standardized formulas for calculating the fees charged by
AMS user-funded programs (79 FR 67313). Every year since then, the
Department has published in the Federal Register a notice announcing
the rates for its user-funded programs.
This notice announces the 2021/2022 fee rates for voluntary
grading, inspection, certification, auditing, and laboratory services
for a variety of agricultural commodities including meat and poultry,
fruits and vegetables, eggs, dairy products, rice, and cotton and
tobacco on a per-hour rate and, in some instances, the equivalent per-
unit cost. The per-unit cost is provided to facilitate understanding of
the costs associated with the service to the industries that
historically used unit-cost basis for payment. The fee rates will be
effective at the beginning of the fiscal year, crop year, or as
required by specific laws.
The rates reflect direct and indirect costs of providing services.
Direct costs include the cost of salaries, employee benefits, and, if
applicable, travel and some operating costs. Indirect or overhead costs
include the cost of Program and Agency activities supporting the
services provided to the industry. The formula used to calculate these
rates also includes operating reserve, which may add to or draw upon
the existing operating reserves.
These services include the grading, inspection or certification of
quality factors in accordance with established U.S. Grade Standards or
other specifications; audits or accreditation according to
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards and/or
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles; and
other marketing claims. The quality grades serve as a basis for market
prices and reflect the value of agricultural commodities to both
producers and consumers. AMS' grading and certification, audit and
accreditation, plant process and equipment verification, and laboratory
approval services are voluntary tools paid for by the users on a fee-
for-service basis. The agriculture industry can use these tools to
promote and communicate the quality of agricultural commodities to
consumers. Laboratory services are provided for analytic testing,
including but not limited to chemical, microbiological, biomolecular,
and physical analyses. AMS is required by statute to recover the costs
associated with these services.
As required by the Cotton Statistics and Estimates Act (7 U.S.C.
471-476), consultations regarding the establishment of the fee for
cotton classification with U.S. cotton industry representatives are
held in the beginning of the year when most industry stakeholder
meetings take place. Representatives of all segments of the cotton
industry, including producers, ginners, bale storage facility
operators, merchants, cooperatives, and textile manufacturers were
informed of the fees during various industry-sponsored forums.
Rates Calculations
AMS calculated the rate for services, per hour per program
employee, using the following formulas (a per-unit base is included for
programs that charge for services on a per-unit basis):
(1) Regular rate. The total AMS grading, inspection, certification,
classification, audit, or laboratory service program personnel direct
pay divided by direct hours for the previous year, which is then
multiplied by the next year's percentage of cost of living increase,
plus the benefits rate, plus the operating rate, plus the allowance for
bad debt rate. If applicable, travel expenses may also be added to the
cost of providing the service.
(2) Overtime rate. The total AMS grading, inspection,
certification, classification, audit, or laboratory service program
personnel direct pay divided by direct hours, which is then multiplied
by the next year's percentage of cost of living increase and then
multiplied by 1.5, plus the benefits rate,
[[Page 20477]]
plus the operating rate, plus an allowance for bad debt. If applicable,
travel expenses may also be added to the cost of providing the service.
(3) Holiday rate. The total AMS grading, inspection, certification,
classification, audit, or laboratory service program personnel direct
pay divided by direct hours, which is then multiplied by the next
year's percentage of cost of living increase and then multiplied by 2,
plus the benefits rate, plus the operating rate, plus an allowance for
bad debt. If applicable, travel expenses may also be added to the cost
of providing the service.
All rates are per-hour except when a per-unit cost is noted. The
specific amounts in each rate calculation are available upon request
from the specific AMS program.
2021/2022 Rates
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Includes travel
Regular Overtime Holiday costs in rate Start date
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cotton Fees
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 CFR Part 27--Cotton Classification Under Cotton Futures Legislation
Subpart A--Regulations;.............................................................................................................................
Sec. Sec. 27.80-27.90 Costs of Classifications and Micronaire................................................................................
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cotton Standardization
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Certification for Futures Contract (Grading $4.25/bale X August 1, 2021.
services for samples submitted by CCC-licensed
samplers).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Transfer of Certification Data to New Owner or $0.20/bale or $5.00 per page minimum X August 1, 2021.
Certified Warehouse (Electronic transfer
performed).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 CFR Part 28--Cotton Classing, Testing, and Standards
Subpart A--Regulations Under the United States Cotton Standards Act;................................................................................
Sec. Sec. 28.115-28.126 Fees and Costs.......................................................................................................
Subpart D--Cotton Classification and Market News Service for Producers;.............................................................................
Sec. 28.909 Costs; Sec. 28.910 Classification of Samples and Issuance of Classification Data; Sec. 28.911 Review Classification...........
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cotton Grading
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Form 1: Grading Services for Producers $2.30/bale X July 1, 2021.
(submitted by licensed sampler).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Form 1 Review (new sample submitted by licensed $2.30/bale X July 1, 2021.
sampler).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Form A Determinations (sample submitted by $2.30/bale X July 1, 2021.
licensed warehouse).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Form C Determinations (sample submitted by non- $2.30/bale ............... July 1, 2021.
licensed entity; bale sampled under USDA
supervision).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Form D Determination (sample submitted by owner $2.30/bale X July 1, 2021.
or agent; classification represents sample
only).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Foreign Growth Classification (sample of $6.00/sample X August 1, 2021.
foreign growth cotton submitted by owner or
agent; classification represents sample only).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Arbitration (comparison of a sample to the $6.00/sample X August 1, 2021.
official standards or a sample type).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Practical Cotton Classing Exam (for non-USDA Exam: $150/applicant, Reexamination: $130/ X July 1, 2021.
employees). applicant
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Special Sample Handling (return of samples per $0.50/sample X July 1, 2021.
request).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Electronic Copy of Classification Record....... $0.05/bale ($5.00/month minimum with any X July 1, 2021.
records received)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Form A Rewrite (reissuance of Form 1, Form A, $0.15/bale or $5.00/page minimum X August 1, 2021.
or Futures Certification data or combination).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Form R (reissuance of Form 1 classification $0.15/bale or $5.00/page minimum X July 1, 2021.
only).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Instrument Level Assessment...... $4.00/sample X July 1, 2021.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dairy Fees
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 CFR Part 58--Grading and Inspection, General Specifications for Approved Plants and Standards for Grades of Dairy Products
Subpart A--Regulations Governing the Inspection and Grading Services of Manufactured or Processed Dairy Products;...................................
[[Page 20478]]
Sec. Sec. 58.38-58.46 Fees and Charges.......................................................................................................
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Continuous Resident Grading Service............ $80.00 $96.49 $112.97 X Oct 1, 2021.
Non-resident and Intermittent Grading Service; 90.00 107.89 125.78 X Oct 1, 2021.
State Graders.
Non-resident Services 6 p.m.-6 a.m. (10 percent 99.00 118.68 138.36 X Oct 1, 2021.
night differential).
Export Certificate Services (per certificate).. 85.00 N/A N/A ............... Oct 1, 2021.
Equipment Review \1\........................... 100.00 121.25 142.49 ............... Oct 1, 2021.
Audit Services................................. 103.00 119.00 N/A X Oct 1, 2021.
Special Handling............................... 41.00 N/A N/A ............... Oct 1, 2021.
Fax/PDF Charge (per copy)...................... 4.00 N/A N/A ............... Oct 1, 2021.
Derogation Application (per application)....... 123.00 N/A N/A ............... Oct 1, 2021.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Specialty Crops Fees
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 CFR Part 51--Fresh Fruits, Vegetables and Other Products (Inspection, Certification, and Standards)
Subpart A--Regulations;.............................................................................................................................
Sec. Sec. 51.37-51.44 Schedule of Fees and Charges at Destination Markets....................................................................
Sec. 51.45 Schedule of Fees and Charges at Shipping Point Areas...............................................................................
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quality and Condition Inspections for Whole $210.00 per lot ............... Oct 1, 2021.
Lots.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quality and Condition Half Lot or Condition- $174.00 per lot ............... Oct 1, 2021.
Only Inspections for Whole Lots.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Condition--Half Lot............................ $161.00 per lot ............... Oct 1, 2021.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quality and Condition or Condition-Only $96.00 per lot ............... Oct 1, 2021.
Inspections for Additional Lots of the Same
Product.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dockside Inspections--Each package weighing <30 $0.044 per pkg. ............... Oct 1, 2021.
lbs..
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dockside Inspections--Each package weighing >30 $0.068 per pkg. ............... Oct 1, 2021.
lbs..
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Charge per Individual Product for Dockside $210.00 per lot ............... Oct 1, 2021.
Inspection.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Charge per Each Additional Lot of the Same $96.00 per lot ............... Oct 1, 2021.
Product.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inspections for All Hourly Work................ $93.00 $122.00 $147.00 ............... Oct 1, 2021.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Audit Services--Federal........................ $115.00 ............... Oct 1, 2021.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Audit Services--State.......................... $115.00 ............... Oct 1, 2021.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GFSI Certification Fee \2\..................... $250 per audit ............... Oct 1, 2021.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 CFR Part 52--Processed Fruits and Vegetables, Processed Products Thereof, and Other Processed Food Products
Subpart--Regulations Governing Inspection and Certification;........................................................................................
Sec. Sec. 52.41-52.51 Fees and Charges.......................................................................................................
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lot Inspections................................ $75.00 $100.00 $124.00 ............... Oct 1, 2021.
In-plant Inspections Under Annual Contract 75.00 100.00 124.00 ............... Oct 1, 2021.
(year-round).
Additional Graders (in-plant) or Less Than Year- 85.00 112.00 138.00 ............... Oct 1, 2021.
Round.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Audit Services--Federal........................ $115.00 ............... Oct 1, 2021.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Audit Services--State.......................... $115.00 ............... Oct 1, 2021.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GFSI Certification Fee \2\..................... $250 per audit ............... Oct 1, 2021.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meat Fees
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 CFR Part 54--Meats, Prepared Meats, and Meat Products (Grading, Certification, and Standards)
Subpart A--Regulations;.............................................................................................................................
Sec. Sec. 54.27-54.28 Charges for Service....................................................................................................
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scheduled Grading.............................. $86.00 $105.00 $123.00 X Oct 1, 2021.
Unscheduled Grading............................ 114.00 132.00 154.00 ............... Oct 1, 2021.
Scheduled Night Differential (6 p.m.-6 a.m.)... 95.00 115.00 123.00 X Oct 1, 2021.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 CFR Part 62--Livestock, Meat and Other Agricultural Commodities (Quality Systems Verification Programs)
Subpart A--Quality Systems Verification Definitions.................................................................................................
[[Page 20479]]
Sec. 62.300 Fees and Other Costs for Service..................................................................................................
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Auditing Activities............................ $150.00 $222.00 $231.00 ............... Oct 1, 2021.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Poultry Fees
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 CFR Part 56--Voluntary Grading of Shell Eggs
Subpart A--Grading of Shell Eggs;...................................................................................................................
Sec. Sec. 56.45-56.54 Fees and Charges.......................................................................................................
7 CFR Part 70--Voluntary Grading of Poultry and Rabbit Products
Subpart A--Grading of Poultry and Rabbit Products;..................................................................................................
Sec. Sec. 70.70-70.78 Fees and Charges.......................................................................................................
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scheduled Grading.............................. $63.00 $82.00 $99.00 X Oct 1, 2021.
Scheduled, Night Differential (6 p.m.-6 a.m.).. 69.00 91.00 99.00 X Oct 1, 2021.
Scheduled, Sunday Differential................. 81.00 105.00 N/A X Oct 1, 2021.
Scheduled, Sunday and Night Differential....... 90.00 116.00 N/A X Oct 1, 2021.
Unscheduled Grading............................ 99.00 122.00 147.00 ............... Oct 1, 2021.
Audit Service.................................. 150.00 222.00 231.00 ............... Oct 1, 2021.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Science and Technology Fees
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 CFR Part 91--Services and General Information (Science and Technology)
Subpart I--Fees and Charges;........................................................................................................................
Sec. Sec. 91.37-91.45........................................................................................................................
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Laboratory Testing Services.................... $98.00 $116.00 $133.00 ............... Oct 1, 2021.
Laboratory Approval Services \1\............... 188.00 212.00 237.00 X Jan 1, 2022.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 CFR Part 75--Regulations for Inspection and Certification of Quality of Agricultural and Vegetable Seeds
Sec. 75.41 General................................................................................................................................
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Laboratory Testing............................. $58.00 $86.00 $115.00 X Oct 1, 2021.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Administrative Fee............................. $14.50 per certificate ............... Oct 1, 2021.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Auditing Services.............................. $115.00 ............... Oct 1, 2021.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tobacco Fees
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 CFR Part 29--Tobacco Inspection
Subpart A--Policy Statement and Regulations Governing the Extension of Tobacco Inspection and Price Support Services to New Markets and to
Additional Sales on Designated Markets;.
Subpart B--Regulations;.............................................................................................................................
Sec. Sec. 29.123-29.129 Fees and Charges; Sec. 29.500 Fees and charges for inspection and acceptance of imported tobacco...................
Subpart F--Policy Statement and Regulations Governing the Identification and Certification of Non-quota Tobacco Produced and Marketed in Quota Area;
Sec. 29.9251 Fees and Charges.................................................................................................................
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Domestic Permissive Inspection and $55.00 $64.00 $72.00 ............... July 1, 2021.
Certification (re-grading of domestic tobacco
for processing plants, retesting of imported
tobacco, and grading tobacco for research
stations).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Export Permissive Inspection and Certification $0.0025/pound X July 1, 2021.
(grading of domestic tobacco for manufacturers
and dealers for duty drawback consideration).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grading for Risk Management Agency (for Tobacco $0.0765/pound X July 1, 2021.
Crop Insurance Quality Adjustment
determinations).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pesticide Test Sampling (collection of $0.0065/kg or $0.0029/pound X July 1, 2021.
certified tobacco sample and shipment to AMS
National Science Laboratory for testing).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pesticide Retest Sampling (collection of $115.00/sample and $55.00/hour X July 1, 2021.
certified tobacco sample from a previously
sampled lot for re-testing at the AMS National
Science Laboratory; fee includes shipping).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 20480]]
Standards Course (training by USDA-certified $1,250.00/person ............... July 1, 2021.
instructor on tobacco grading procedures).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Import Inspection and Certification (grading of $0.0475/kg or $0.0215/pound X July 1, 2021.
imported tobacco for manufacturers and
dealers).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rice Fees
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 CFR Part 868--General Regulations and Standards for Certain Agricultural Commodities
Subpart A--Regulations;.............................................................................................................................
Sec. Sec. 868.91 Fees for certain Federal rice inspection services...........................................................................
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contract (per hour per Service representative) $41.50 $51.90 $62.30 ............... Oct 1, 2021.
\3\.
Noncontract (per hour per Service 51.90 64.90 77.90 ............... Oct 1, 2021.
representative) \3\.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Export Port Services (per hundredweight) \4\... $0.047/CWT ............... Oct 1, 2021.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inspection for quality (per lot, sublot, or sample inspection):
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rough rice................................. $35.70 ............... Oct 1, 2021.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brown rice for processing.................. $31.50 ............... Oct 1, 2021.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Milled rice................................ $24.20 ............... Oct 1, 2021.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Factor analysis for any single factor (per factor):
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Milling yield (per sample) (Rough or Brown $27.10 ............... Oct 1, 2021.
rice).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All other factors (per factor) (all rice).. $15.00 ............... Oct 1, 2021.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total oil and free fatty acid.............. $42.10 ............... Oct 1, 2021.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Faxed and extra copies of certificates (per $1.90 ............... Oct 1, 2021.
copy).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stowage examination (service-on-request):
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ship....................................... $36.00 (per stowage space, minimum 5 spaces ............... Oct 1, 2021.
per ship)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subsequent ship examinations............... $36.00 (per stowage space, minimum 3 spaces ............... Oct 1, 2021.
per ship)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barge (per examination).................... $31.40 ............... Oct 1, 2021.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All other carriers (per examination)....... $11.70 ............... Oct 1, 2021.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Travel costs outside the United States will be added to the fee, if applicable.
\2\ Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) Certification Fee--$250 per GFSI audit to recoup the costs associated with attaining technical equivalency to
the GFSI benchmarking requirements.
\3\ Original and appeal inspection services include: Sampling, grading, weighing, and other services requested by the applicant when performed at the
applicant's facility.
\4\ Services performed at export locations on lots at rest.
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 15b; 7 U.S.C. 473a-b; 7 U.S.C. 55 and 61; 7
U.S.C. 51-65; 7 U.S.C. 471-476; 7 U.S.C. 511, 511s; and 7 U.S.C.
1621-1627.
Bruce Summers,
Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-08069 Filed 4-19-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
